Dakar NOLA Gains MICHELIN Star as 2026 American South Guide Recognizes 22 Restaurants

The latest regional selection adds three One-Star restaurants and highlights New Orleans’ four starred dining addresses alongside new discoveries across Georgia.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Dakar NOLA in New Orleans and Georgia’s So. Fox and Uberto Restaurant each earned a new One MICHELIN Star in the 2026 American South selection.
• The region has 22 MICHELIN-starred restaurants: one with Two Stars and 21 with One Star.
• New Orleans has four starred restaurants, led by Two-Star Emeril’s and newly promoted Dakar NOLA.
• The 2026 selection spans 265 restaurants and 44 cuisine types, adding 14 new Bib Gourmands and 31 new Recommended restaurants.

New Orleans has added another MICHELIN-starred dining address, while two restaurants in Georgia have joined the region’s top culinary ranks, as the MICHELIN Guide unveiled its second annual American South selection on 21 October 2026. Dakar NOLA, the New Orleans restaurant led by chef Serigne Mbaye, was promoted to One MICHELIN Star; Atlanta’s So. Fox and Uberto Restaurant in Gay, Georgia, also received their first Stars.

Revealed at a ceremony at The Pinnacle in downtown Nashville, the new selection contains 265 restaurants across 44 cuisine types. Alongside the three new One-Star awards, inspectors added 14 Bib Gourmand establishments, taking that distinction’s regional total to 59, and recognized 31 newly recommended restaurants. For travellers planning food-focused trips through the South, the guide now reaches beyond major city centres to smaller towns and rural destinations.

New Orleans earns another Star for its culinary map

At Dakar NOLA, Senegalese culinary traditions meet Louisiana’s seafood and local produce in a carefully paced tasting menu. The restaurant serves dishes informed by West African and Gulf Coast ingredients, including seafood with tamarind, okra and cassava. The promotion brings particular attention to chef Mbaye’s approach to the connections between the two regions’ food cultures.

New Orleans also retains its prominent position through Emeril’s, the American South’s sole Two-MICHELIN-Star restaurant in the 2026 selection. Saint-Germain and Zasu hold One Star each, meaning the city has four starred restaurants in total. That gives visitors a variety of dining styles, from contemporary tasting menus to Creole cooking and Dakar NOLA’s Senegalese interpretations.

Georgia accounts for the other two newly starred venues. So. Fox in Atlanta’s Virginia-Highland neighbourhood offers Southern-influenced American cuisine guided by seasonal ingredients, with chef Myles Moody and sommelier Rachael Pack collaborating on the dining experience. Outside the city, Uberto Restaurant at the World of Quercus property in Gay draws on farm-grown ingredients and preservation techniques for its contemporary tasting menu under chef Ryan Smith.

All 22 MICHELIN-starred restaurants in the American South for 2026

According to MICHELIN’s complete 2026 regional list, one restaurant holds Two Stars and 21 hold One Star. The starred restaurants are:

Two MICHELIN Stars

• Emeril’s — New Orleans, Louisiana.

One MICHELIN Star

Georgia

• Atlas — Atlanta.
• Bacchanalia — Atlanta.
• Hayakawa — Atlanta.
• Lazy Betty — Atlanta.
• Mujō — Atlanta.
• O by Brush — Atlanta.
• Omakase Table — Atlanta.
• So. Fox — Atlanta — newly awarded in 2026.
• Uberto Restaurant — Gay — newly awarded in 2026.
• Spring — Marietta.

Louisiana

• Dakar NOLA — New Orleans — newly awarded in 2026.
• Saint-Germain — New Orleans.
• Zasu — New Orleans.

North Carolina

• Counter — Charlotte.

South Carolina

• Malagón Mercado y Taperia — Charleston.
• Vern’s — Charleston.
• Wild Common — Charleston.
• Scoundrel — Greenville.

Tennessee

• Bastion — Nashville.
• Locust — Nashville.
• The Catbird Seat — Nashville.

More dining options beyond the Stars

The regional selection also places emphasis on meals at more accessible price points. Bib Gourmand recognition is designed for restaurants offering good food at good value, while the Recommended category gives visitors additional options in cities, coastal communities and smaller destinations. The guide says its anonymous inspectors assessed restaurants independently, and the 2026 results cover a wide spectrum of cuisines.

Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the MICHELIN Guide, described the second edition as evidence of the region’s breadth, highlighting distinctive restaurants in both established food destinations and unexpected communities. For travellers, the published restaurant and hotel recommendations can help build itineraries that connect dining with neighbourhood discoveries, local attractions and overnight stays. The complete dining selection is available on the MICHELIN Guide website, while further destination information can be found through New Orleans & Company.